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Anxious giving up breastfeeding at 1 year?

Hi all
I have completely breastfed Cerys since birth and she turns one in three weeks-unbelivable!! So i have spoke to health visitor about cutting down her breastfeeds so the past few days we have replaced her 3pm breastfeed with cows milk which she is not overly keen on but will drink-she has never took to a bottle so we use a sippy cup. So now she is having morning and bedtime breastfeeds. My real issue is as daft as it sounds is i feel this overwhelming sadness that this stage is coming to an end, it has caught me by surprise-i never felt like this with DS i suppose because we always hoped we would have another so i would have a chance to do it again but we have more or less concluded that we will have no more. I suppose i just want some reassurance that this is quite normal, she is ready to give it up as she is not overly interested except for night time-shes to eager with her new found skill of walking!! She also has the biggest appitite-i have yet to find a food she doesnt like!!

I felt just the same as you do, I certainly never thought I would BF for as long as I have. Freya is now 14 months and is still have a BF at bedtime - and in the night

I hadn't really realised how emotionally attached I was to BFing until it came to think about stopping so I guess that is why I haven't managed to do it yet. I've got Freya off the morning one and she has cow's milk instead now. I do want to stop at some point soon as I've got a couple of frosties waiting for me in Spain!

If you don't have a good reason to stop then why not just carry on until your LO decides to stop for herself? If I am honest I probably wouldn't stop if it wasn't wanted to do a FET at some point in the next few months.

NYH, you are perfectly normal. I BF DD until 14 months, only stopped because she got fluey and really wasn't interested I loved it but you quickly get used to it. Hope it goes ok. Great that she loves her food :-) x x

I know exactly how you feel NYH. The chances of me breastfeeding again are pretty slim and I miss it so much. Can I ask what your reasons are for stopping? If your LO likes her bedtime feed and you don't want to stop, why stop? You might find in a month or two so she decides to stop by herself and you feel very different about it too. Equally, you might carry on with just a bedtime boob feed for another 6 months or even more and if that suits you both, then great.

Thanks for replying, i suppose i have took on board some of the negative comments that i have recieved especially from family members so thought of a year as a guideline to stop if i hear 'she looks to big to be doing that' one more time i may go slightly !! I just think that she has done so well with it and it suits us and as far as i know is still doing her good, in actual fact the HV said that her eczma could have been helped by breastfeeding this long!! I did still breastfeed my son at bedtime until he was 16 months so i may continue as that is the main one she is bothered about.

Do what feels right for you, my DD2 decided to stop at 13 months out of the blue I didn't see it coming at all. I would offer her both and she what she decides if you are happy to continue that is then she has made the choice

i suppose i have took on board some of the negative comments that i have recieved especially from family members

Well then you have a few options here:

Stop because 'they' think its best when you, your baby, a whole heap of medical professionals disagree.
Lie about it, carry on and tell them you have stopped for a quiet life.
Tell them to mind their own business.
Ask why they think you should pay good money for inferior milk when they stuff you have is free.
Sit with both boobs out and feed her on full view every time they visit just to wind them up!

Hi all
Thanks for replying, just to update have decided to carry on with cerys' morning and evening breastfeeds until she gives me indication that she wants to stop, she is still so tiny really only 18.5lbs she still needs to good amount of milk.
To be honest i think it has helped her settle into a lovely routine of 13 hours sleep since she was 11 weeks old woo hoo!!

Good for you NYH! I am still BFing Freya who has just turned 15 months but I am just down to a bedtime feed now. I plan to quit at the end of March as I need to stop two months before my FET which I am hoping to do in May/June.

I am absolutely convinced it is partly the reason why Freya has hardly been ill at all and when she does get a bit of something it is very minor.